Fire hydrant



H. M. LOFTON Nov. 30, 1937.

FIRE HYDRANT Original Filed March 2, 1933 |NVENTDR HERBERTM.LUFTDNATTURNEY Patented Nov. 30, 1937 PATENT FFIQE FIRE HYDRANT' Herbert M.Lofton,

Chattanooga, Tenn.

Original application March 2, 1933, Serial No.

659,293. Divided and 1935, Serial No. 24,937

13 Claims.

This invention relates to fire hydrants. It is a division of myapplication filed March 2, 1933, Serial No. 659,293, forfeited April 18,1935, and renewed June l, 1935, now Patent No. 2,020,355, grantedNovember 12, 1935.

The invention of this application relates particularly to the mechanismwithin the bonnet, and the arrangement thereof whereby the oper atingparts are lubricated.

An object of the invention is to provide a fire hydrant in which thebearings of the operating parts are lubricated by the reciprocatingmovements of the valve stem.

Another object is to provide for the return of the unused oil to thereservoir.

Still another object is to provide means for disposing of any waterwhich seeps into the hydrant bonnet when the valve is open.

According to the invention the hydrant structure comprises, a shoe, astock and bonnet parts, a valve for controlling the flow of waterthrough the stock to the outlets, a reciprocating valve rod foroperating the valve and having its upper end within the bonnet, meansarranged in the upper part of the hydrant and secured to the stock forguiding the valve rod and preventing it from rotating; an oil reservoirwithin the bonnet and having a stuffing box at its lower part throughwhich the valve rod extends into the oil reservoir, a rotatable nutjournalled in the upper part of the bonnet and forming a screw threadedsocket for reciprocating the valve rod by rotating said nut, said nutprovided with an oil passage through its side wall below the level ofoil in said reservoir and above the upper end of said valve rod when thevalve is fully opened, whereby a space within the nut above the valverod will receive oil from the reservoir, so that when said rod is raisedoil will be entrapped and raised therewith, and means at the upper endof the travel of said rod for circulating said entrapped oil tolubricate the working parts above the reservoir.

The drawing illustrates an embodiment of the invention and the viewstherein are as follows:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a fire hydrant embodying theimprovements, and with a portion of the stock or barrel and valve rodbroken out to shorten the height of the hydrant.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking in thedirection of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the guide member whichmay be used for guiding this application June 4,

the lower end of the valve stem into the cylindrical bushing in theshoe.

The shoe is indicated at A, the barrel or stock at B and the bonnet atC.

The shoe is preferably flat at the bottom 6 and is provided with lateraltubular flange portion 7 for connection with the street supply main. Theupper part of the shoe is provided with an annular flange 3 forconnecting same to the annular flange 9 on the lower end of the bottomstock section H] by means of thebolts II.

The upper end of the lower stock, section ill, is also provided with anannular flange it which is connected to the annular flange M. on thebottom of the upper stock section l6 by a segmental frangible ringcoupling ll secured. by bolts 2!). This coupling now forms the subjectmatter of the application above referred to.

The upper stock section it is providedwith the operating mechanismincluding hose nozzles I8, steamer nozzles l9, and the various mechanismfor operating the valve and which require lubrication.

The upper end of the upper stock section it is flanged, as at 2 I, andthe annular flange 22 of the oil cup casting23 rests on a gasket 24 onsaid flange 2i and said parts are drawn together by bolts l5 to insure awatertight connection.

The casting 23 is completely enclosed by the bonnet C which has anoutwardly extending flange 26, while bolts 2'! pass through the saidflange and through the flange 22 of the casting and the annular flange Mof the upper stock section to secure said bonnet to the stock. Theflange 26 on the bonnet is also provided with an annular skirt 28 forenclosing the flange connection.

The upper end of the bonnet C is recessed at 29 to provide an inwardlydirected flange 3|. This recess is threaded. A cylindrical nut 32extends through the upper end of the bonnet and same is screw threadedto fit upon the threaded portion 33 of a stub shaft 34.

The nut 32 is also provided with an annular flange 36 which rests uponthe inwardly directed flange 3! of the bonnet C, and is held in place bymeans of the bushing 31 which is screwed into the threaded recess 29 ofsaid bonnet.

The interior bore of the bushing 31 is provided with a helical groove orchannel 38, while the nut 32 at a point near the top of its threadedhollow interior is provided with a transverse hole Ml for communicatingwith said helical groove. The flange 35 on thenut 32 may be providedwith one or more vertical holes 40a to permit surplus oil to bereturned, as later explained.

The nut 32 extends down into an oil cup 39 upstanding on the casting 23,and at a point sufficiently low to permit oil from said cup to pass intosame, the said nut being provided with transverse apertures 4|. The wallof the oil cup 39 is provided with an outlet 42 at the bottom of sameand said outlet leads toa small standpipe 43 of a little less heightthan the height of the oil cup wall.

The center of the casting 23 below the oil cup is provided with astufiing box 44 through which the stub shaft 34 extends and said box isfilled with packing 45, while a gland 47 presses against same throughthe medium of the adjusting bolts 48 located in the oil cup 39.

The stub shaft 34 has its lower end formed of polygonal cross-section,as at 5|, and this part loosely fits within a vertical polygonal guideaperture 52 in the downwardly extending portion of the casting 23.

The upper end of the valve rod 53 is secured to the stub shaft 34 asshown at 54, and said rod extends down to the main valve 56.

The main valve has an upper disk shaped body 57 and a tubular shaft 58formed integral therewith, and a series of disks 59 of leather or other.

tough yieldable material graduated in diameter to fit the beveled seat60 of the seat ring 6|. This ring 5| is screwed into the upper end ofthe shoe and is provided with means 62 for inserting a tool for suchpurpose. Below the disks 59 is an annular plate 63 fitting loosely onthe shaft 58 while clamping nuts 64 press the same firmly against thesaid disks.

The valve rod 53 extending downward from the stubshaft 34 is screwedinto the disk-like body 51 and a pin 66 prevents rotation of same withrelation to the valve 56, while the square or polygonal section 5| ofthe stub shaft to which the said valve rod is secured, working as itdoes in the polygonal guide aperture 52, prevents the rotation of themain valve and its tubular shaft 58.

The disk-like body l3 of the main valve has drainage ports 65 throughwhich the entrapped water may flow from the stock or barrel l3 into thetubular shaft 58 for draining the hydrant stock when the main valve isclosed.

The interior and bottom of the shoe A is provided with an integrallyformed upstanding tubular part 31 into which a bronze bushing 68 isinternally fitted to form a cylinder with an outwardly flared top 69.

The tubular bushing 68 is provided about midway its height with alateral drainage port H which communicates with an annular chamber 12,while draining tubes 13 provide an outlet from said chamber but maintaina head of water therein at all times.

The tubular shaft 58 has a piston 14 secured on its reduced part 16 bywasher plates 1! and 18 and lock nuts 19 and 8|, while cup-shapedleather washers 82 and 83 at top and bottom respectively have theirannular lips extending away from said piston. The washer plates 18 and19 hold these leather washers so that their lips press firmly againstthe internal bore of the bushing 68.

If desired the nut 8| may be omitted and the guide member 84 shown inFig. 4 substituted therefor. This member has a threaded attaching part86 and an upwardly curved annular skirt 8? which will guide the piston14 and its associated parts into the internal bore of the bushing 68 andprevents mutilation of the cup shaped washer 83.

This particular feature of the invention forms the subject matter ofanother divisional application filed on even date herewith and nowripened into Patent No. 2,038,426, dated July 27, 1937. In the parentapplication and in the divisional application this guide member 84 andits operation and advantages are discussed at length.

The lower stock or barrel I0 is provided at a point adjacent the annularflange I3 (and hence close to the frangible coupling H) with verticalstrengthening ribs 88, the purpose of which is to help brace the stockor barrel against breakage when the hydrant is impacted by a heavy bodysuch as an automobile truck or the like.

Instead of removing the bushing 37 for filling the oil reservoir 39, oilmay be admitted through the hole 99, which is normally closed by theplug 9|.

The operation of the improved fire hydrant is as follows: Let us supposethat the caps 89 of the hose nozzles l8 have been removed and hoseconnections made therewith. In order to supply water to the holes it isnecessary to unseat the valve 5? from the seat 59. This is accomplishedin the following manner. llhe nut 32 is rotated by means of a wrench orother tool and has its flange 36 resting on the inturned flange 3|, andretained by the bushing 29, preventing longitudinal movement of saidnut, the stub shaft 34 being lowered by this operation. Since the stubshaft is secured to the valve rod or stem 53 the valve 5'! will be moveddownward from its seat 58 so as to permit water to enter from thetubular flange 2, into the shoe A, past the valve 5'! and into stock Bof the hydrant from whence it may freely flow through the nozzles l8 andconnecting hoses.

The nut 32 is turned until the valve 51 is completely opened, at whichtime the upper end of the stub shaft 34 will have cleared the transverseapertures 4| in said nut so that the oil from the cup 3| will passthrough said apertures and enter into the hollow interior of said nut toa height coincident with the height of the oil in said cup.

To close the valve 51 the nut 32 is turned in the opposite direction andas the top of the stub shaft 34 passes the apertures 4| in said nut, theoil above the level of said apertures will be entrapped in the hollowinterior of said nut, and as the stub shaft continues to rise by virtueof the turning of the nut 32 this entrapped oil will be carried to theupper end of the hollow interior of said nut and will pass out throughthe transverse holes 40 and communicate with the helical groove orchannel 38, which is provided on the interior bore of the bushing 31.

Any excess oil passing through this groove will fiow down through thevertical holes 4011 in the fiange 3B of the nut 32 and along theinwardly directed flange 3| of the bonnet and return to the oil cup 39.In this manner the operating parts in the bottom structure are keptlubricated and always ready for use.

It will thus be seen that upon the opening and closing of the valve 51,a pumping action of the oil will be obtained and this oil will beelevated to the working parts in the bonnet so that said oil willcirculate through the nut and its associated parts and thus keep thesame in well lubricated condition.

Since one of the greatest troubles with fire hydrants heretoforeconstructed and commercially used is the fact that the lubrication offire hydrants is largely neglected even where oiling means are provided,this improved fire hydrant offers a solution, in that the working partsof the fire hydrant areautomatically lubricated every time the valve isfully open. It will therefore be readily seen that thorough lubricationis positively obtained by employing a large reservoir of oil and causingthe opening and closing movements of the hydrant to forcibly pump oil tothe working parts thereof.

Another important feature of this invention is that any water whichseeps through the packing 46 and its gland 41 will accumulate in thebottom of the reservoir 39, and said water will flow through the outlet42 and up through the standpipe 43 and will be discharged from the upperend thereof where it will be dispensed over the flange 22 and betweenthat flange and the skirt 28 of the bonnet C.

Of course the hydrant illustrated herein and particularly theself-lubricating mechanism employed herein maybe modified and changed inmany ways without departing from the invention herein set forth andhereafter claimed.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. In a fire hydrant having a bonnet, a main valve, a reciprocatingvalve rod, a' rotatable nut for reciprocating the valve rod, and an oilreservoir surrounding a part of said valve rod, said valve rod when atits lowest position being adapted to entrap oil in said nut and whenraised to distribute said entrapped oil to lubricate the valve operatingmechanism.

2. In a fire hydrant having a bonnet, a main valve, a reciprocatingvalve rod, a rotatable nut for reciprocating the valve rod, an oilreservoir, said nut having a transverse opening below the level of oilin said reservoir, said oil reservoir surrounding a part of said valverod, said valve rod when at its lowest position being adapted to entrapoil in said nut and when raised to distribute said entrapped oil tolubricate the valve operating mechanism.

3. In a fire hydrant having a bonnet, a main valve, a reciprocatingvalve rod, a rotatable nut for reciprocating the valve rod, said nuthaving a peripheral flange, a bushing cooperating with said flange toprevent longitudinal movement of said nut, a groove on the interior ofsaid bushing for circulating lubricating oil, and an oil reservoirsurrounding a part of the valve rod, said valve rod when at its lowestposition being adapted to entrap oil in said nut and when raised toelevate said oil for circulation through said groove.

4. In a fire hydrant having a bonnet, a main valve, a reciprocatingvalve rod, means for reciprocating the valve rod comprising a nut havinga peripheral flange journalled in a recess in said bonnet and retainedbetween an inwardly extending flange thereof and a bushing, a helicalgroove on the interior of said bushing co-operating with a transversehole in said nut for circulating lubricating oil, and an oil reservoirsurrounding a part of said rod and a part of said nut, said nut having asecond transverse hole below the level of oil in said reservoir, saidlast opening permitting oil to enter said nut when the valve rod is atits lowest position, and when raised said rod will elevate said oil insaid nut whereby it will be circulated through the first named hole andsaid groove.

5. In a fire hydrant having a bonnet, a main valve, a reciprocatingvalve rod, means for reciprocating the valve rod comprising a nut havinga peripheral flange journalled in a recess in said bonnet and retainedbetween an inwardly extending flange thereof and a bushing, a helicalgroove on the interior of said bushing cooperating with a transversehole in said nut for circulating lubricating oil, an oil reservoirsurrounding a part of said rod and a part of said nut, and a secondtransverse hole. in said nut belowthe level of oil in said reservoir,said last opening permitting 'oil to enter said nut when the valve rodis at its lowest position, and when raised said rod will elevate saidoil in said nut whereby it will be circulated through the first namedhole and said groove, and means for returning excess oil to thereservoir and means for collecting and draining off any water whichseeps into said reservoir.

6. In a fire hydrant having a bonnet, a main valve, a reciprocatingvalve rod, means for reciprocating the valve rod comprising a nut havinga peripheral flange journalled in a recess in said bonnet and retainedbetween an inwardly extending flange thereof and a bushing, a helicalgroove on the interior of said bushing cooperating with a transversehole in said nut for circulating lubricating oil, an oil reservoirsurrounding a part of said rod and a part of said nut, and a secondtransverse hole in said nut below the level of oil in said reservoir,said last opening permitting oil to enter said nut when the valve rod isat its lowest position, and when raised said rod will elevate said oilin said nut whereby it will be circulated through the first named holeand said groove, and an opening in the peripheral flange of the nut topermit the excess oil to return to the reservoir.

7. In a fire hydrant having a bonnet, a main valve, a reciprocatingvalve rod, a rotatable nut for reciprocating the valve rod, an oilreservoir surrounding a part of said valve rod, said valve rod when atits lowest position being adapted to entrap oil in said nut and whenraised to distribute said entrapped oil tolubricate the valve operatingmechanism, and means in said bonnet for supplying oil to the reservoirwithout removing the bonnet or any of the operating mechanism.

8. In a fire hydrant having shoe, stock and bonnet parts, a valve forcontrolling the flow of water through the stock, a reciprocating valverod for operating the valve, means comprising a rotatable nut forreciprocating thevalve rod, an oil reservoir surrounding a part of thevalve rod, a sleeve below said reservoir and surrounding said rod,packing in said sleeve to prevent water from said stock from enteringsaid reservoir, a recess in the bottom of the reservoir wall, and meanscooperating with said recess for collecting and draining off any waterwhich seeps through said packing and into said reservoir.

9. In a fire hydrant having shoe, stock and bonnet parts, a valve forcontrolling the flow of water through the stock, a reciprocating valverod for operating the valve, means comprising a rotatable nut forreciprocating the valve rod, an oil reservoir surrounding a part of thevalve rod, a sleeve below said reservoir and surrounding said rod,packing in said sleeve to prevent water from said stock from enteringsaid reservoir, a recess in the bottom of the reservoir wall, and a pipecooperating with said recess for collecting and draining off any waterwhich seeps through said packing and into said reservoir.

10. In a fire hydrant having shoe, stock and bonnet parts, a main valve,a reciprocating valve rod, a rotatable nut for reciprocating the valverod, an oil reservoir surrounding part of the valve rod, holes in saidnut below the level of oil in said reservoir for entrapping oil in saidnut when the main valve is lowered and raised, packing to prevent waterfrom said stock entering said reservoir, a recess in the bottom of thereservoir wall, and means cooperating with said recess for collectingand draining off any water which seeps through said packing and intosaid reservoir.

11. In a fire hydrant having shoe, stock and bonnet parts, a main valve,a reciprocating valve rod, a rotatable nut for reciprocating the valverod, an oil reservoir surrounding part of the valve rod, means forentrapping oil in said nut when the main valve is lowered and raised,packing to prevent water from said stock entering said reservoir, arecess in the bottom of the reservoir wall, and a vertical pipe whoselower end communicates with said recess and whose upper end is below theupper edge of the reservoir for collecting and draining ofi any waterwhich seeps through said packing and into said reservoir.

12. In a fire hydrant having shoe, stock and bonnet parts, a main valve,a reciprocating valve rod, a rotatable nut for reciprocating the valverod, an oil reservoir surrounding part of the valve rod, said nut havingholes therein below the level of oil in said reservoir for entrappingoil in said nut when the valve rod is recipro'cated,

packing to prevent water from said stock enterseeps through said packingand into said reser- 13. In a fire hydrant provided with a shoe andbonnet, a main valve in the hydrant adjacent said shoe, a reciprocativevalve rod in the hydrant for opening and closing said valve, a rotatablenut in said bonnet having an interior engaging said rod forreciprocating the same to open and close said valve, said nut having anannular flange on the exterior thereof coacting with the interior of thebonnet to prevent longitudinal movement of saidv nut when the same isrotated, a reservoir containing lubricant in said hydrant, and meansincluded in said nut for supplying lubricant from said reservoir to boththe interior of said nut where the same engages said rod, and thecoacting surfaces of said external flange of said nut. and the interiorof said bonnet, when said nut is rotated.

HERBERT M. LOF'ION.

